TY - UNPB

T1 - Doctor Who? The Effect of Physician-Patient Match on The SES-Health Gradient

AU - Kristiansen, Ida Lykke

AU - Sheng, Sophie Yanying

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - We investigate whether primary care physician and patient concordance in termsof socio-economic status (SES) reduces the SES inequality in health. We measurephysicians’ SES by their childhood SES and find that SES concordance decreaseslow-SES patients’ mortality, while high-SES patients’ mortality does not dependon their physicians’ background. Together, they translate to a 24% reduction inthe SES-mortality gradient. SES concordance changes the health behavior of thepatient and increases treatment of chronic conditions: low-SES patients with low-SES physicians receive more care at the intensive margin, have a higher detectionof chronic conditions, and have higher adherence to treatment.

AB - We investigate whether primary care physician and patient concordance in termsof socio-economic status (SES) reduces the SES inequality in health. We measurephysicians’ SES by their childhood SES and find that SES concordance decreaseslow-SES patients’ mortality, while high-SES patients’ mortality does not dependon their physicians’ background. Together, they translate to a 24% reduction inthe SES-mortality gradient. SES concordance changes the health behavior of thepatient and increases treatment of chronic conditions: low-SES patients with low-SES physicians receive more care at the intensive margin, have a higher detectionof chronic conditions, and have higher adherence to treatment.

M3 - Working paper

BT - Doctor Who? The Effect of Physician-Patient Match on The SES-Health Gradient

ER -